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The River at Night: A Novel

The River at Night: A Novel

Current price: $16.99
Publication Date: August 1st, 2017
Publisher:
Gallery/Scout Press
ISBN:
9781501143205
Pages:
320
Usually Ships in 1 to 5 Days

What would you do to save the lives of your friends? In this debut novel, Winifred and her three friends are about to find out. Instead of a trip to a comfortable, fancy resort in some exotic destination, they embark on an excursion to the Allagash wilderness in upstate Maine. What happens next is everyone's nightmare, yet it leads to the kind of wisdom few people ever achieve. This is a tense, disturbing, yet satisfying story of the strength of friendship in the face of a severe challenge.

Linda Bond (E), Auntie's Bookstore, Spokane, WA
January 2017 Indie Next List

Description

A “raw, relentless, and heart-poundingly real” (Ruth Ware, New York Times bestselling author) thriller set against the harsh beauty of the Maine wilderness, The River at Night charts the journey of four friends as they fight to survive the aftermath of a white water rafting accident.

Winifred Allen needs a vacation.

Stifled by a soul-crushing job, devastated by the death of her beloved brother, and lonely after the end of a fifteen-year marriage, Wini is feeling vulnerable. So when her three best friends insist on a high-octane getaway for their annual girls’ trip, she signs on, despite her misgivings.

What starts out as an invigorating hiking and rafting excursion in the remote Allagash Wilderness soon becomes an all-too-real nightmare; a freak accident leaves the women stranded, separating them from their raft and everything they need to survive. When night descends, a fire on the mountainside lures them to a ramshackle camp that appears to be their lifeline. But as Wini and her friends grasp the true intent of their supposed saviors, long buried secrets emerge and lifelong allegiances are put to the test. To survive, Wini must reach beyond the world she knows to harness an inner strength she never knew she possessed.

With intimately observed characters and visceral prose, The River at Night “will leave you gasping, your heart racing, eyes peering over your shoulder to see what follows from behind” (Mary Kubica, New York Times bestselling author). This is a dark exploration of creatures—both friend and foe—that you won’t soon forget.

About the Author

Erica Ferencik is the award-winning author of the acclaimed thrillers The River at NightInto the Jungle, and Girl in Ice, which The New York Times Book Review declared “hauntingly beautiful.” Find out more on her website EricaFerencik.com and follow her on Twitter @EricaFerencik.

Praise for The River at Night: A Novel

Praise for The River at Night

“A gal-pal vacation goes over the falls and into hell. You won’t put it down.”
— Kirkus Reviews

“[An] adrenaline rush of a novel.”
— Publishers Weekly

"The River at Night is both a haunting, twisting thrill-ride through the Maine wilderness, and a story of friendship, humanity, and the will to survive. Terrifyingly real and impossible to put down."
— New York Times bestselling author Megan Miranda

"Raw, relentless and heart-poundingly real, this book knocked me off my feet like a river in spate."
— New York Times bestselling author Ruth Ware

"A twisting, turning thrill ride of a novel, The River at Night will sweep you along, pull you under and not let you come up for air until you’ve turned the last page.  Erica Ferencik expertly captures the wild, untouched Maine landscape and the ferocity of both nature and humankind.”    
— New York Times bestselling author Jennifer McMahon

"Lost in the brutal Maine wilderness, four women struggle to survive, testing the boundaries of their friendship and the limitations of their own strength and mortality.  Terrifying and wholly visceral, The River at Night will leave you gasping, your heart racing, eyes peering over your shoulder to see what follows from behind.  Take a deep breath before you begin because it’s the last you’ll have until you’re through."  
— New York Times and USA Today bestselling author Mary Kubica

"The River at Night is a dark, twisting, unrelenting thriller that kept me frantically turning the pages well into the night. Erica Ferencik skillfully combines jolting plot twists, lyrical prose, and a beautifully brutal setting, cementing The River at Night as my favorite debut novel of the year."
— New York Times bestselling author Heather Gudenkauf

“With a title like The River at Night, the plot had to be swift and twisting, yet what enraptured me completely was Wini's bigger triumph over the wilderness of the heart, a vivid journey amplified by a deeply textured depiction of both the devastating and glorious ways that true friendship can tear us down ... and build us back up again. Ferencik's writing pulses with a dangerous energy akin to the river she depicts.”
— New York Times and USA Today bestselling author Vicki Pettersson

The River at Night is a white water thrill ride to be sure. But it’s more than than that. Erica Ferencik digs deep into friendship, midlife angst, and how we can surprise ourselves when the worst things happen. Wini is a character I can imagine myself knowing, sharing secrets over coffee. I pulled for her the whole way, through all the rapids, all the bends and twists of this terrific debut.” 
— New York Times bestselling author Lisa Unger

"Erica Ferencik's The River at Night is a high-octane debut, a thriller that combines the watery adventure of Deliverance with the twisting psychological suspense of Lisa Unger. This is a taut, tense novel that rushes like the fastest rapids. Grab a hold now and enjoy the ride!"
— Bestselling author David Bell

"Ferencik pushes her characters to the edge in a starkly beautiful and unforgiving wilderness, where their worst nightmares become all too real. A harrowing, devastating, and superbly written thriller, The River at Night grabbed hold of me and didn't let go until the final, perfect sentence."
— Bestselling author A.J. Banner

"In the tradition of James Dickey’s Deliverance, this exciting survival tale hooks from the first page."
— Library Journal

"Ferencik's debut novel is a must-read for anyone who loves high intensity thrillers. Her use of foreshadowing and flair for suspense is impeccable; it sets the stage for a terrifying few days in the wilderness of northern Maine. Rich imagery and attention to detail are just a few of the reasons why Ferencik is one of the best new thriller writers out there!"
— RT Book Reviews

"This novel quickly becomes a dark, more-twisted-than-the-river tale of secrets as night falls in the wilderness."
— Marie Claire

“Author Erica Ferencik’s storytelling [is]…brutally effective…hurtling River’s harrowing narrative along in a visceral, white-knuckle rush.”
— Entertainment Weekly

"The River at Night will take you on a heart-pounding literary ride through the harsh and gorgeous Maine wilderness…Ferencik’s debut novel will keep you on the edge of your seat.”

 
— The Riveter